A 9am Judiciary Committee Hearing on the state of cannabis in NJ drew hoards of spectators on a chilly rainy summer day. But things heated up quickly once the cannabis debate began. Here are some nuggets from today’s hearing
Knives Out
Many in attendance appear critical of NJ’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission, the agency which governs NJ’s recreational and medical cannabis program. We’ve critiqued the CRC on these pages on behalf of medical consumers who pay too much of their meds. But the CRC is comprised of hardworking, ethical people who seems to be doing the best to accommodate a lot of opposing interests. Trenton’s appetite to blow up CRC is ironic considering those are the same state lawmakers whose foot-dragging and can-kicking empowered the CRC to begin with.
The critique 0f CRC by its detractors boils down to this: powerful people want in on NJs Cannabis Gold Rush and the CRC has different priorities than rewarding political-connected cannabis wannabes eager to cash in. Imagine that??